Fenwick’s Bryce Hopkins trims his college list

Before originally committing to Louisville, there were few players who spent more time on college campuses and visiting with college coaching staffs than Bryce Hopkins.

Well before official visits could even be taken –– and months before Covid-19 impacted everyone’s recruiting and changed the world –– the Fenwick star was criss-crossing the country with his family.

Hopkins took close to 20 unofficial visits, talked with coaches and did his homework. He made four trips to Louisville alone. That’s what it took for Hopkins and his family to be well informed in making a college decision and comfortable with a very early commitment, which he did last fall, committing to coach Chris Mack and Louisville.

The November commitment was a full year before Hopkins would actually sign with the Cardinals. But he loved it –– from the basketball atmosphere and tradition to playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference to the relationship he had with the coaching staff.

But now the multi-faceted 6-6 forward, who is among the top 35 players in the country and the No. 2 ranked prospect in Illinois, is back on the open market. Hopkins decommitted from Louisville, opening his recruitment back up and emerging once again as one of the top uncommitted prospects in the country.

Hopkins and the family were 100 percent on board with Louisville and grew close with the coaching staff during the recruiting process. But as the clock ticked closer toward November and National Signing Day, the comfort level Hopkins had dissipated and he simply wasn’t 100 percent committed.

Now Hopkins has narrowed his list down to nine schools: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon, Providence and Texas.

This second round of the recruiting process has been intense, Hopkins admits. With fewer top players available, Hopkins is even a bigger priority for schools trying to nab a consensus top 35 player.

“The first go-around wasn’t as bad as this one,” Hopkins said. “I had a big junior year and with having only one more year left, the coaches have been pushing hard. It’s been kind of stressful with all the phone calls, but I’m doing fine with it.”

Hopkins is familiar with several of his previous suitors from the recruiting process, while the endless calls since the de-commitment has sparked interest from new schools.

“My parents and I had to really sit down and talk and really listen in on the zooms and tune in to what they were saying,” Hopkins said. “Some of the new schools I’ve added, I have had to trust what they are saying because I haven’t been on their campus physically. So I have to trust their word and see how I can fit into their system. It’s a little harder not seeing things first-hand.”

Hopkins says the priorities he has in finding a school have not shifted since the first time he went through this process. He wants to find the right coaching staff and be a part of a “basketball atmosphere.”

“I’m looking for a great coaching staff for when things get hard, that I’m going to have somebody who is there to pick me up,” Hopkins said. “I want to have a coach who will push me to my fullest potential and hopefully help me get to the next level which is the NBA. Looking for an overall great basketball and college atmosphere.”

A highly-regarded prospect early in his career, Hopkins burst on the scene as a sophomore while putting up huge numbers for the Friars. He emerged as a national recruit and then followed it up with a junior season in which he averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.

A skilled, big-bodied wing with broad shoulders and a terrific frame, Hopkins has a natural feel and instincts for the game, along with terrific hands. He can put it on the floor, uses his body well at the basket and will overpower defenders in getting to the rim and finishing.

It’s all why he’s such a coveted player in the Class of 2021.

There is no rush, he says, in making a final decision. He may or may not trim his list down further.

“I’m not sure if I will cut my list again,” he said. “If I do it, I would maybe have a top four? If I don’t cut the list, I’m going to keep on building relationships with these staffs and universities and then just commit.

“I am going to take my time this time around and make sure I pick what is best for me. I would say, right now if I had to choose a timeline, I would choose midseason to make a decision. But I’m not 100 percent sure when I will decide. I just de-committed not too long ago. I will keep talking to my family. I want to make sure I pick a school that’s best for me and one where I’m in the best situation possible.”